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Firedust Grenade

A small jar or gourd filled with firedust becomes a grenade with the addition of a bit of burning, oilsoaked rag or a flint-and-steel detonator mechanism. A person who suffers the direct impact of the grenade takes full damage, like any other attack; but the burst of fire extends two yards from impact. In this region, the grenade inflicts half the listed damage (round down) as an environmental effect that lasts a single tick. Producing firedust grenades is a Craft (Fire) task, difficulty 3.

Clever artisans can make miniature grenades, containing no more firedust than a single shot of a flame piece. These deal less damage than a flame piece, however, because the fire expands in all directions instead of being concentrated into a narrow jet. A miniature grenade has a one-yard burst. It is small enough to throw using a sling or staff sling.

Not-so-clever artisans make oversized grenades, called petards, loaded with a full pound of firedust. The petard’s burst has a four-yard radius. The weapon is notoriously dangerous, since any mistake with a petard can kill its wielder and everyone else nearby. Artillerists sometimes load petards into catapults.

Size

Miniture

Standard

Petard

Speed

6

6

6

Accuracy

+0

+0

-1

Damage*

4L/2

9L/3

14L/5

Burst Radius

1 yard

2 yard

4 yard

Rate

3

2

1

Range

10

10

5

Minimum

Dexterity ••

Dexterity ••

Str ••, Dexterity ••

Cost†

••

••

•••

Tags

F,G

F,G

F,G

* Number after slash is Trauma for burst area.† Cost is for 10 miniature grenades, five standard, or one petard; increase by one dot outside the South.

Grenades are pottery (rarely glass or other materials) bombs, spherical or egg-shaped and sized for throwing. A grenade is designed to burst on impact and scatter some damaging payload. Regardless of their contents, grenades follow a few special rules:

All grenade weapons carry the new ‘G’ tag (see sidebar). This indicates that the weapon bursts to affect every target within an area. See the weapon’s description for the size and shape of that area.

If attacking an area rather than a specific person, a one-yard radius area has a Defense Value of 0.

Normal grenades are too large to throw using slings or staff slings, but their range can be extended using a special device that resembles an atlatl.

A character whose player botches an attack roll typically smashes the grenade at their feet, setting it off and suffering the full effect herself.

Grenades are fragile. An unprotected grenade goes off if its bearer suffers knockback or knockdown, or falls 10 feet or more. An enemy can also target a visible grenade with a called shot: treat this as a disarming attack (see Exalted, p. 158).

Prudent people carry grenades in well-padded wooden cases. Grenades in such cases cannot detonate accidentally (unless the wearer is smashed flat, anyway). On the other hand, the character must perform a Ready Weapon action to withdraw grenades.

Thrown Excellencies and Charms that extend a thrown weapon’s Range or Rate (including multiple actions) work with grenades. Charms that multiply or create thrown weapons do not. Storytellers must evaluate other Charms individually.

Some grenades are fashioned by mundane craft. Others require the thaumaturgical Path of Alchemy; see the description for each type of grenade.